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Anthropic cracks down on game cloning in Claude Code after wave of AI-built knockoffs

AnnouncementPolicyNov 3, 2026

Anthropic has added two sentences to Claude Code's system prompt for Opus 5.5 preventing the tool from cloning existing video games, according to employee Addy Osmani. The rule applies even when clones are renamed and follows a wave of AI-built knockoffs created with Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra, including browser ports of titles like Halo. Anthropic plans further tweaks; original game projects remain allowed, though some users report issues.

Why it matters

Anthropic has updated the system prompt for Claude Code running on Opus 5.5 to stop the tool from recreating existing video games, a change confirmed by employee Addy Osmani. The restriction applies even when clones are renamed or presented as original, and it stems from Anthropic's usage policy on intellectual property infringement. The move responds to a surge of unofficial browser ports of well-known titles built with Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra, aided by tools like Reverse Engineer Anything that convert native binaries into readable pseudocode. The article also notes broader targets, including recreations of Adobe's Creative Cloud apps and emulators following a PlayStation 5 jailbreak. Original games and genre projects remain permitted, though some users report problems with legitimate work. The story matters because it shows the intellectual property fight, previously centered on images and video, now reaching software, and it illustrates how AI providers are adjusting model behavior through system prompts rather than relying solely on policy enforcement.

Receipt № 27081 source · awaiting confirmation ◐

Evidence

1source· awaiting independent confirmation

No score is assigned. Sources and their independence are shown in the citation chain below.

Citation chain · 1 source

01high
the-decoder.comOfficialhttps://the-decoder.com/anthropic-cracks-down-on-game-cloning-in-claude-code-after-wave-of-ai-built-knockoffs/This source documents Anthropic's system-prompt change blocking game clones in Claude Code, confirmed by employee Addy Osmani, and situates it within a wider wave of AI-assisted software copying.
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AnthropicCompanyClaude CodeModelAddy OsmaniPersonSonyCompanyAdobeCompanyGPT-6 AstraModelOpus 5.5ModelReverse Engineer AnythingModel

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Canonical: https://the-decoder.com/anthropic-cracks-down-on-game-cloning-in-claude-code-after-wave-of-ai-built-knockoffs/